Sunday, September 29, 2013

Cubs + Sox losses, year by year

How bad was it to be a baseball fan in Chicago this year? For comparison's sake, here are the combined loss totals going back 75 years, with selected big years prior to that.

2013 -- 195

2012-- 178

2011 -- 174

2010 --161

2009 -- 161

2008 -- 138

2007 -- 167

2006-- 168

2005 - 146

2004 -- 152

2003 -- 150

2002 -- 176

2001 -- 153

2000 -- 164

1999 -- 181

1998 -- 155

1997 -- 145

1996 -- 163

1995 -- 147

1994 -- 110 (113-game season)

1993 -- 146

1992 -- 160

1991 -- 152

1990 -- 145

1989 -- 185

1988 - 167

1987 -- 161

1986-- 180

1985 -- 184

1984 -- 153

1983-- 154

1982 -- 164

1981 -- 117 (106-game season)

1980 -- 188

1979 -- 169

1978 -- 173

1977 -- 153

1976 -- 154

1975 -- 173

1974 -- 176

1973 -- 169

1972 -- 137 (155-game season ((avg.)))

1971 -- 162

1970 --- 184

1969 -- 164

1968 -- 173

1967 -- 147

1966 - 182

1965 -- 157

1964 -- 150

1963 -- 148

1962 -- 180

1961 -- 166

1960 -- 161 (last year of the shorter season era)

1959-- 140

1958 -- 159

1957 -- 156

1956 -- 163

1955 -- 144

1954 --150

1953 -- 154

1952 -- 150

1951-- 165

1950 -- 183

1949 -- 184

1948 -- 191

1947 -- 169

1946 -- 151

1945 -- 134

1944-- 162

1943 151

1942 -- 168

1941 -- 161

1940 - 161

1939 -- 139

1938 -- 146

---

1934 - 164

1932-- 166

1931- 167

1930 -- 156

1929 -- 147

1925 -- 161

1921-- 181

1901-- 139

I welcome any other number crunching anyone wants to do with the records for the Cubs and Sox. For instance, how many years since the Sox first year (1901) have the teams had a combined record of better than .500? In how many years were they both over .500?

Posted at 10:40:02 PM

Comments

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I accept!

As noted, the combined losses for 2013 are the most ever (195)
This year's combined win% of 0.796 is second worst to 1948 (0.752).

Seasons of "winning" baseball in Chicago, where the combined win% is 1.000 or better: 63
Seasons of "losing" baseball in Chicago (less than 1.000 combined): 50
Seasons with .500 or better record: Cubs 53, Sox 65.
Seasons *both* teams were .500 or better: 25, most recently 2008 (only the second time both teams made the playoffs in the same year, the first being 1906).

I don't even have the heart to look at the pitching stats--these are depressing enough!

ZORN REPLY -- I'm surprised to learn that we have 13 more winning seasons, overall, in Chicago, than losing seasons. A crunchy question is, since 1901, what's the overall record of each team (I guess due to rainouts and other factors they haven't played the exact same number of games).

63 winning seasons out of 113 sounds decent, except...
32 of them were in 1901 - 1945 (45 years)
31 of them were in 1946 - 2013 (68 years)
...so there was plenty of winning up through WWII; it's been downhill since.

Not that popularity is all it's cracked up to be. The Tampa Bay Rays, for example, were dead last in home attendance despite winning 91 games, making it to a Wild Card tiebreaker game, and logging their sixth consecutive winning season.

The Cubs, meanwhile, have dropped to 12th in attendance. In 2008, they packed Wrigley Field to 99.1% of its capacity (while putting together the best record in the National League). In 2013, they only managed 79.3%, and even that seems generous considering how many people sat on their tickets. So much for the stereotype of Cubs fans not caring about the product on the field:

As far as the managerial situation goes, it would be lovely if the Cubs somehow managed to pry Joe Girardi from the Yankees, but the team already had an ideal candidate lined up in 2010 (and 2011). Ryne Sandberg would have been the perfect fit for a club in sore need of improved fundamentals and player development. Plus, in the event the Cubs found themselves in contention in the future, he would have been one of the rare individuals who could have helped young players navigate the frenzy surrounding an extended postseason run. Oh well, looks like our loss is Philadelphia's gain.

About "Change of Subject."

"Change of Subject" by Chicago Tribune op-ed columnist Eric Zorn contains observations, reports, tips, referrals and tirades, though not necessarily in that order. Links will tend to expire, so seize the day. For an archive of Zorn's latest Tribune columns click here. An explanation of the title of this blog is here. If you have other questions, suggestions or comments, send e-mail to ericzorn at gmail.com.
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Contributing editor Jessica Reynolds is a 2012 graduate of Loyola University Chicago and is the coordinator of the Tribune's editorial board. She can be reached at jreynolds at tribune.com.